7 Reasons Why You Should Craft, Implement, & Live By a Personal Development Plan

The purpose of a personal development plan is to assist you on the journey to attracting joy. The goal is to help you uncover your purpose and develop your strengths for personal achievement and professional success. 

A personal development plan helps you to gain the confidence needed to get out of your comfort zone. The purpose is to help to strengthen your resolve and ability to be brave in the face of struggle or discontent. A good personal development plan will also help you improve self-awareness. This combination will ensure that you know  you are worthy; to practice self-love; live to your potential; and live a mindful life with intention.

Those who reach DECISIONS promptly and definitely know what they want, and generally get it. The leaders in every walk of life DECIDE quickly, and firmly. That is the major reason why they are leaders. The world has the habit of making room for the man (or woman) whose words and actions show were he (she) is going. ~Napoleon Hill

Deciding is is a part of everyday life. Many of us are deciding moment-by-moment. Choosing to ignore a negative thought, or listening to your intuition, are decisions. Most of us can choose, in an instant, whatever we want  Those choices will either seal a negative habit or affirm your personal growth. The decisions and the choices you make will dictate the way life unfolds, with all of its twists and turns; ups and downs, trials and tribulations.

For many of us, set off on the journey of self-discovery after trauma or a major life interruption. A life-changing illness, divorce, or a career loss often trigger a need for introspection. An intense need to understand why we are here is common after life's upheaval. If you want to uncover your purpose in life, focus on self-awareness. Let's talk about how to create a written personal development plan to help you reveal your authentic brilliance; and get your life back on track.

As you discover what makes you think the way you do, you will challenge your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Understanding your personal paradigm will guide you to decide what facts you’ll use to make sound decisions. When you do this, you will get to know yourself in deeper and more meaningful ways. As a result, you are more likely to feel good about your decisions. You will gain confidence in the ideas you have, the habits, and actions it takes each day because you know they each are authentic - work for your highest good.

As you get to know yourself, you will understand what you need to do to make yourself whole.  By paying close attention to how you feel about your actions, you will become stronger and more confident. Further, as you decide and implement good habits, it's important to celebrate the small wins. Equally important, understanding the areas where you miss the mark will guide you about what to pay attention to and what areas you should probably develop.

Of course, a critical part of self-mastery, the journey to being your best authentic self, can be enlightening and scary. If you're honest, it may reveal some habits and choices that don't serve you well. You may even come to realize some spaces that you misjudged or made mistakes. Trust the process. Get the lesson and forgive yourself. Trust me, self-awareness ain't for the faint of heart.

While it is more prevalent that people are likely to focus on their weaknesses, it is critically important that you view your life from a strengths' perspective. Getting out of your comfort zone isn't all about forcing yourself to focus on the things you aren’t good at or in the spaces where you have failed. That's real easy - we do that all the time. Instead, stand on your assets. Yes, it takes courage and self-love to be affirm your goodness with confidence, despite of your poor judgments or mistakes. 

Note: high self-esteem is not arrogance. It's not pretending to be perfect or to act as if you are not flawed. It's about the comfortability of leaning in your thoughts and emotions with self -empathy, -acceptance, and -love - no matter what.

Imagine what it would be like if you were ready to get what you want, anytime you want it. What would it be like if you decided you want to be happy? What would your life be like if you were living a fulfilled life? Do you think you would you walk with an extra prep in your step?

Confidence helps us feel ready for life's experiences. When we're confident, we're more likely to move forward with people and opportunities — not back away from them. And if things don't work out at first, confidence helps us try again. It's the opposite when confidence is low.

As you develop, you’ll start experiencing success, and that will boost your confidence exponentially. Celebrating all wins. Even the small ones will confirm the truth that you can trust yourself. You know what's best for you. I mean, really, who knows you better than you? You are the best decision-maker in your life.

Free yourself from paralyzing self-doubt, negative thoughts, and emotions. Fight back the urge to procrastinate and take control.

The center of personal development is YOU. So spending time, energy, and focus on getting to know who you are intrinsically is critically important. Self-awareness is the key to living an authentic life. Being true to yourself helps you put the moments of your life into perspective. When all else fails, being authentic is the best way to overcome life’s interruptions. It’s the most effective way to rebound from heartache and disappointment.

Understanding who you are in deep and meaningful ways eliminates the guesswork. When things happen to you, and around you, it’s easier to respond when you don’t have to pretend. Operating from a strengths perspective allows you the freedom to react in a way that is more affirming for your wellbeing. You won’t have to waste valuable time trying to figure out “the best way,” because the best way is your affirming way.

When you stand in your authentic brilliance, you are prepared to manage life moment by moment. It doesn’t protect you from being hurt, feeling disappointment, or the negative emotions of failure. Standing in your brilliance helps you: 1) shorten the days of those negative emotions; 2) be empathetic and patient with yourself as you make adjustments to be better, and to do better. Being authentically present helps you get up, dust yourself off, recalibrate and keep going. It helps you return to, and maintain balance whenever you drift off course.

That’s it. You deserve to live your best life. You should be happy, content, and live a life filled with love. I don’t know how old you are, but in the years you have been alive, you should have been living in peace and joy. If you have not, it’s past the time to live the life you want...and deserve.

If there is no room in your life for giggling, playing, and relishing in joy, then that means you have some work to do.

Maybe you have all of your financial ducks in a row, perhaps you have a loving, happy relationship, or perhaps you are pursuing your passion at work...all of those things are amazing, and I applaud you. However, you can have it all and still an overall sense that something is missing. It is possible to have an amazing career, be financially stable, have a loving spouse, doing meaningful work and still feel unfulfilled, 

I meet women who seemingly “have it all,” and believe they are “fine,” until the moment they realize they are not. 

Trust me, I tell you from experience, many of us are a trauma, life-altering experience away from a meltdown. An illness, a death of a loved-one, or any major life-interruption can clarify that you have been living a life of going through the motions - completing tasks and checking off To-do lists.

As a human, feel. Feel happiness, love, peace, satisfaction, and accomplishment that transcend material wealth and status. For those of you, like me, who have grown apathetic to life, seeing everything in black and white, it’s time for your healing. It’s time for you to feel. It’s time for you to see in color.

A personal development plan is the north-star for your life. The most significant part of the plan is the journey of crafting it. As you map out your plan, you will notice the thoughts, beliefs, and habits that you are you currently experiencing. You will naturally see a pattern of behaviors that may not have been serving you well. Equally important, you will identify your strengths and assets.

With the view from a strengths perspective, you will begin making adjustments and improvement through mindful thoughts, habits, and behavior. It is through these lenses that you will improve the quality of your thoughts and emotions.

The aspirations, goals, hopes, and dreams for your life will set your intention and become the foundation for your personal development plan.

A personal development plan will guide you to define and align the person you want to be with your authentic self. It will help you illuminate your strengths while identifying the skills you need to accomplish what you want in life - in the both the short- and long-term.

Your personal development plan must be as unique as you. It must be a custom fit, tailored for your aspirations; and based on your intrinsic assets and qualities. You must also craft it in a space filled with patience, love, and persistence. Also, implement your personal development plan in a time-frame that fits within your parameters of commitment and drive, while meeting your level of expectations for change. 

Most of us understand that you’re more likely to succeed at anything when you have a plan. When you have a plan, you are more likely to succeed at implementing it if you have a team to help you. When you share your journey with others, you won’t feel so isolated. You won’t feel so discouraged because you know you are not alone. Let me know you are ready to have someone in your life that is ready to:

If you answered yes, may I invite you to join me on the journey? Sign up to get on my list to get resources, tools, and the inspiration to start of your own journey of self-awareness and joy.

When you’re ready, together, we can get started drafting your personal development plan. Once you decide to invest in yourself, I am here to support you. I will help you craft, track, and strengthen your aspirations for the personal achievement and professional success that you deserve.

If you’re ready to decide now, get on the list to get started.

In the meantime, I would love to hear about the changes you would like to make in your life. Please share any vision, goals, or dreams you are working on - or plans still in your mind that you intend to work on at some point.

Share your thoughts below, I'd love to hear from you.

Making a committed decision that you want something is the first step to getting it. Use your imagination to visualize it. Decide you want it. Go get it.